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“She’s also been sleeping a lot. Like twelve hours at a time, and that’s not enough.”
“I should mention that I had a stem cell transplant for leukemia nineteen months ago. I was in remission as recently as three weeks ago.”
At the mention of the wordleukemia, the nurse’s expression became much more serious. “Let’s figure out what’s up and get you on your way.”
They took tons of blood and sent it off to be checked.
“I put a rush on it,” the kind nurse said. “It could be a virus or so many other things, such as anemia.”
“That would be better than the dreaded L word.”
She patted Lexi’s shoulder. “Try not to worry.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Lexi said to Max after the nurse left the room.
“Sure is.”
Lexi held out a hand to him.
He took hold of her hand and sat on the edge of the hospital bed.
“Sorry to do this to you,” she said.
“Don’t be sorry. I just want to hear that you’re okay.”
“Can you grab that pink thing over there?” Lexi said, pointing. “Hurry.”
He handed her the plastic bowl a second before she threw up.
She’d never eat a chicken nugget again.
Max held her hair back and then rinsed out the bowl.
“Chicken nuggets on an empty stomach wasn’t the best idea I ever had.”
“Probably not.”
She took the clean bowl from him. “Thank you, and I really am sorry. You didn’t sign on for this.”
He took a wipe out of a package on the counter and gently cleaned around her mouth and then handed her a cup of ice water with a straw. “I signed on for all of it, so quit that right now. You got me?”
“I got you,” she said with a weak smile.
He returned to perch on the edge of her bed and held her hand. “And you’re not getting rid of me, so don’t go there.” He kissed the back of her hand for emphasis. “Whatever comes next, I’m here for it. Good, bad, ugly. Whatever. I’ve spent my entire adult life with a hole in my heart where you used to be, and I don’t want to be without you ever again. So no more talk of what I signed on for, okay?”
Lexi blinked back tears. “I’m so lucky to have found you twice in a lifetime.”
“We’re both lucky, and it’s only going to get better from here. I promise.”
By the time Beverly returned, Lexi’s nerves were all but shot. Despite the recent positive news from her medical team and Max’s reassurances, she was scared senseless of a relapse that would ruin everything right when her life was finally moving in a direction she’d longed for during her illness.
“It’s not leukemia,” the nurse said, smiling. “But you are pregnant.”
Lexi’s mouth fell open in total shock.Pregnant.She hadn’t considered that for a second after being told the odds of conceiving were low after chemo. “What?”
“Oh myGod,” Max said as a huge smile lit up his handsome face. “Lex! We’repregnant!” He let out such a loud whoop that the nurse shushed him. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly, “but this is the best newsever.” He leaned in to hug her as tightly as he could. “We’re having a baby!”
Tears slid down her cheeks as pure joy filled her heart. She and Max were having a baby!
